The History Behind Montgomery County Courthouse in Christiansburg, Va.
The first Montgomery County courthouse was constructed sometime around 1796, in Christiansburg, Va. This two-storied courthouse served Montgomery County until it was deemed overcrowded, and it was replaced with a larger courthouse in 1833.
This larger, more moderate courthouse served the growing county for the next 76 years, and in the year of 1909, it was demolished and replaced with a slightly larger, three-storied courthouse.
I won’t argue that a larger courthouse wasn’t needed to satisfy Montgomery County’s growing population at the time, but it appears that size and functionality took a backseat to elegance and style.
This new courthouse possessed every symbol of sophistication: A clock and bell tower, decorative balconies, oversized Greek columns, arched windows and elaborately rounded entrance steps.
However, only 11 years later, the fancy porch and entrance steps had to be removed to provide room for road construction.
This courthouse served its purpose for the next 70 years, and in 1979, it was leveled to the ground to make way for the fourth Montgomery County courthouse. At a whopping 58,000 square feet in size, this new courthouse was sure to provide enough room—or was it?
No it wasn’t. Ironically enough, it only took a small number of years for this enormous courthouse to be deemed insufficient. Now, after only 31 years of service, new construction is already underway for a new and even larger courthouse.
This new courthouse will be 98,500 square feet, but for some reason I can’t help but think that it won’t be enough. What do you think?
